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Youth and labour markets in Africa. A critical review of literature

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  • DIAL

    (DIAL, IRD, Paris)

Abstract

Young people in Africa are confronted with many difficulties when it comes to their integration in the labour markets and their research for decent and productive jobs. Youth unemployment, which is substantially higher than global adult unemployment, has been growing in the last decade. In spite of the dramatic economic, social and political consequences of African youth employment problems, few studies focus on this population. This survey of literature stresses that a clear diagnosis of youth employment problems in African countries based on hard data and analytical research is badly needed. As shown by our research review, basic labour market indicators are lacking or are at best incomplete due to data availability and methodological problems. Worst, as illustrated in our paper, different sources lead to opposite diagnoses concerning youth unemployment and its trends. In order to contribute to this diagnosis, we present some new evidence based on the 1-2-3 Surveys recently conducted in 10 African countries, which provide a consistent and comparable picture of the situation of youth employment in urban labour markets in these countries. We also underline the diversity of the situation of youth employment on the continent (Southern Africa vs. other African countries; Anglophone vs. Francophone countries, etc.). We emphasize the “urban bias” in economic research on this subject, partly due to the lack of data on rural areas. Key Words : Youth, labour, unemployment, Africa _________________________________ Les jeunes en Afrique sont confrontés à de nombreuses difficultés pour s’intégrer dans le marché du travail et pour y trouver un emploi décent et productif. Le chômage des jeunes, qui est substantiellement plus élevé que le chômage global des adultes, a crû au cours de la dernière décennie. En définissant une cible spécifique sur le chômage des jeunes dans les Objectifs du Millénaire pour le Développement, la communauté internationale a reconnu la gravité de la situation. Toutefois, malgré les dramatiques conséquences économiques, sociales et politiques des difficultés d’emploi des jeunes africains, peu d’études s’intéressent spécifiquement à cette population. Cette revue de littérature souligne le fait qu’un diagnostic précis concernant l’emploi des jeunes en Afrique basé sur des données statistiques et une recherche analytique est cruellement nécessaire. Comme le montre notre étude, les indicateurs basiques sur le marché du travail manquent ou sont au mieux incomplets en raison du manque d’informations de bases et de problèmes méthodologiques. Pire, comme l’illustre notre papier, des sources différentes conduisent à des diagnostics opposés concernant le chômage des jeunes et ses tendances. Afin de contribuer à ce diagnostic indispensable, nous présentons de nouveaux résultats basés sur les enquêtes 1-2-3 conduites récemment dans 10 pays africains, qui procurent une image cohérente et comparable de la situation des marchés du travail urbains dans ces pays. Nous soulignons également la diversité de la situation de l’emploi des jeunes sur le continent (Afrique australe vs autres pays d’Afrique, pays anglophones vs francophones, etc.). Nous montrons enfin le « biais urbain » de la recherche économique sur ce sujet, dû en partie au manque de données sur les zones rurales.

Suggested Citation

  • Dial, 2007. "Youth and labour markets in Africa. A critical review of literature," Working Papers DT/2007/02, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
  • Handle: RePEc:dia:wpaper:dt200702
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Christophe J. NORDMAN & François-Charles WOLFF, 2012. "On-The-Job Learning And Earnings: Comparative Evidence From Morocco And Senegal," Region et Developpement, Region et Developpement, LEAD, Universite du Sud - Toulon Var, vol. 35, pages 151-176.
    2. Christophe J. Nordman & François-Charles Wolff, 2009. "Gender differences in pay in African manufacturing firms," Working Papers hal-00421227, HAL.
    3. Christophe Nordman & François-Charles Wolff, 2007. "On-the-job learning and earnings in Benin, Morocco and Senegal," Working Papers DT/2007/09, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    4. Szirmai A. & Gebreeyesus M. & Guadagno F. & Verspagen B., 2013. "Promoting productive employment in Sub‐Saharan Africa : a review of the literature," MERIT Working Papers 2013-062, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    5. Nagler, Paula & Naudé, Wim, 2014. "Young Entrepreneurs in Rural Africa: Prevalence, Determinants, Productivity," IZA Discussion Papers 8564, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Philippe De Vreyer & François Roubaud, 2013. "Urban Labor Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15808.
    7. Calvès, Anne E. & Kobiané, Jean-François & N’Bouké, Afiwa, 2013. "Privatization of Education and Labor Force Inequality in Urban Francophone Africa: The Transition from School to Work in Ouagadougou," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 136-148.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Youth; labour; unemployment; Africa; Jeunes; travail; chômage; Afrique.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C25 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions; Probabilities
    • D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General
    • D71 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty

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